Set Up Outlook 2007 for IMAP or POP Access to Your E-Mail Account

You can connect Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 to your e-mail account using POP3 or IMAP4.

Important:

If you're using Outlook 2007, we recommend that you connect to your e-mail account by using an Exchange account instead of through POP3 or IMAP4. Using an Exchange account lets you use calendaring and other collaboration features that you can't get if you connect through IMAP4 or POP3. For information about how to connect Outlook 2007 by using an Exchange account, see Set Up E-Mail in Outlook 2007.

How do I set up Outlook 2007 for POP3 or IMAP4 access to my e-mail account?

Start Outlook. The Account Settings dialog box opens the first time that you start Outlook. If the Account Settings dialog box doesn't open when you first start Outlook, do the following:

On the Tools menu, click Account Settings.

In the Account Settings dialog box, click New on the E-mail tab.

On the Choose E-mail Service page, make sure that Microsoft Exchange, POP, IMAP, or HTTP is selected, and then click Next.

On the Internet E-mail Settings page , provide the following information.

Under User Information:

In the Your Name box, enter the name you want users to see when you send e-mail from this account.

In the E-mail Address box, enter your e-mail address.

Under Server Information:

Under Account Type, select IMAP or POP3. Consider using IMAP.

In the Incoming mail server box, enter the IMAP or POP server name. For information about how to find your incoming POP3 or IMAP4 server name, see How do I find the server settings? later in this topic.

In the Outgoing mail server (SMTP) box, enter the SMTP server name. For information about how to find your outgoing (SMTP) server name, see How do I find the server settings? later in this topic.

Under Logon Information:

In the User Name box, enter your e-mail address.

In the Password box, enter your password. If you want Outlook to remember your password, make sure that the check box next to Remember password is selected.

At the lower-right corner of the page, click More Settings, and then fill in the Internet E-Mail Settings dialog box as follows:

Under Incoming server (IMAP), or Incoming server (POP3), next to Use the following type of encrypted connection, select SSL in the drop-down box.

Under Outgoing server (SMTP), next to Use the following type of encrypted connection, select TLS, and then click OK.

If you're using POP3, and you want to keep a copy of your messages on the server, click Leave a copy of messages on the server under Delivery. If you don't select this option, all messages are removed from the server and stored locally on your computer.

On the Add New E-mail Settings page, click Next.

On the Congratulations page, click Finish. Close the Account Settings dialog box.

On the Account Settings page, click Close.

If you're using IMAP4, you are prompted to download folders for the mail server that you added. Click Yes. Use the Outlook 2007 user interface to select which folders to synchronize between the server and your local computer, and then click OK.

For more information about how to use Outlook 2007, see the Help documentation provided with Outlook 2007.

How do I find the server settings?

Before you set up a POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail program, you need to look up your own POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP server settings.

Watch this video to learn how to find your server settings for your POP or IMAP e-mail program.

To find your server settings, sign in to your e-mail account using Outlook Web App. After you sign in, click Options > See All Options > Account > My Account > Settings for POP, IMAP, and SMTP access. The POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP server name and other settings you may need to enter are listed on the Protocol Settings page under POP setting or IMAP setting, and SMTP setting.

Note:

If you see Not available next to POP setting, IMAP setting, and SMTP setting, your account may not be set up to use POP or IMAP e-mail programs. For more information, contact the person who manages your e-mail account.

What else do I need to know?

If you don't know whether to use POP3 or IMAP4, consider using IMAP4 because it supports more features.

If your e-mail account is the type that requires registration, you must register it the first time you sign in to Outlook Web App. Connecting to your e-mail account through POP3 or IMAP4 will fail if you haven't registered your account through Outlook Web App. After you sign in to your account, sign out. Then try to connect using your POP3 or IMAP4 program. For more information about how to sign in to your account using Outlook Web App, see How to Sign In to Your E-Mail Using a Web Browser. If you have trouble signing in, see FAQs: Sign-in and Password Issues or contact the person who manages your e-mail account.